Contents

Hayashi Kato, usually referred to as Kato, was the sidekick to the original Green Hornet. Kato was born sometime in the early to mid-1910s, and was the only son of a Japanese warrior who served under Emperor Taisho[1]. During his youth, Kato was trained by his father in the ways of both the Samurai and the Ninja, leaving him skilled in both the blade and using the shadows to his advantage for stealth. Sometime in early 1934, Kato joined the Japanese military. In 1937, Kato and the rest of the Japanese army were sent to invade China by order of the Japanese government, and shortly after his arrival on the Chinese mainland, Kato witnessed what eventually became known as "The Nanking Massacre"[2]. During "The Nanking Massacre", Kato discovered that his commanding officer had allowed his fellow squadron members to "slake their lusts" upon a twelve year old Chinese girl. Furious with his officer's actions, Kato killed his commander and swore that after that, he would never knowingly take another human life again[3]. Using the skills that his father taught him, Kato took it upon himself to curb his country's crimes on the Chinese mainland by sabotaging several Japanese bases and camps. Eventually, Kato was caught and almost executed by the Japanese army, but was rescued by Britt Reid, an American tourist who had become trapped in China following Japan's invasion. Now believing that Japan held no place for him now, Kato swore to protect Britt's life and accompany him back to the United States[4]. Arriving in the States in early 1938, Kato assisted Britt in his training to become The Green Hornet, a masked vigilante that fought the gangsters and mafia that controlled the Chicago streets. In September of 1938, Kato accompanied Britt to New York City, where the two teamed-up with several other masked vigilantes to fight The Clock and his "Black Police" army[5]. In late 1941, Kato temporarily quit as the Hornet's sidekick after seeing that Britt's ego had gotten in the way of his judgement, but the two quickly reunited to take down Vito "The Face" Cerelli[6]. In early 1942, Kato decided to pose as a Korean to avoid persecution from the United States Government following the events at Pearl Harbor[7].

Years later, Kato eventually settled down and retired from being the Green Hornet's chauffeur and had a daughter, Mulan, who he helped train. He did however come out of retirement to fight The Black Hornet, who murdered his wife, Sayomi.